Safety device for locomotives.



PATENTED MAY 21, 1907.

T. H. HALE. SAFETY DEVICE FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 20, 1906.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoE.

THOMAS H. (I)FFAYETTE'VELE, NORTH CAROLINA.

SAFETY ozvlcz FORRLOCOIVQIOTIVES.

.To all whom it may concern:

Beitknownthat1,:Tnomxs H. HALE, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Fayetteville, in the county of Cumberland and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Safety Device for Locomotives, of

which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates tosa'fety appliances for locomotives, and other railway'rolling stock and has for its object to provide improved means for preventing wreckage 'of the locomotive and attached cars in case of collision with a train traveling in the opposite direction or with cars standing on an open switch or side track. I A further object of the invention is to pro-'. vide a spring buffer or cushioning member secured to the boiler-front andmovable to projected position in the path of the approaching train thereby to deaden the jar of shock incident to the impact of the train and thus prevent injury to the cars and passengers.

A further object is to provide a pair of auxiliary buffers disposed one on each side of the main buffer and operated simultaneously from the engineers cab.

A'further object of the invention is to generally improve this class of devices so as to increase their utility, durability and efiic1ency. a

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that various changes in form, proportions and minor details of construction may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims.

In the. accompanying drawings forming a part of this specificationi Figure 1 is a side elevation of a locomotive provided with a safety-appliance constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 1s a top plan view of the same.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawings.

The improved device is principally designed for reducing the jar or shock incident to the collision of locomotives and other railway rolling stock and by way of illustration is shown applied to a locomotive of the ordinary construction in which 5 designates the Specification of Letters Patent... Application filed 39 m in, 1906; Serial No- 335,487.

Patented May 21, 1907.

flab21 6' the boiler and '7 the boiler-front, or' ea r 4 Secured to the boiler-front or head 7 in any suitable manner as by bolts, rivets or similar fastening devices 8 is a casing or housing 9 preferably cylindrical in shape, as shown and I provided with a cap or closure 10.

Arranged within the casing9 and-secured in any suitable manner to the cap 10 is an extensible member or buffer preferably in the form of a coil spring 11, the latter being movable to operative or projective position in the path of an approaching train thereby to receive the. impact of locomotives and thus preventwreckage of the cars and consequent injury to the passengers.

Arranged witliiuj thecoils or convolutions of the springs 1 1 "and secured in any suitable manner to the cap 10 is one end of a chain or other flexible medium 11 the opposite end of which extends through a tube or conduit 12 for engagement with a suitable locking member preferably disposed at the cab 5 of the locomotive and within convenient reach of the engineer or fire-man.

. The locking member consists of a hook '13 one end of which is pivoted at 14 while the opposite end is extended to form an operating handle 15, there being a lug or projection 16 extending from the hook and adapted to'receive one of the links of the chain 11 and thereby lock the spring 11 in retracted position. V

Disposed one on each side of the casing 9 .and secured'to a vertical support or standard 17 are auxiliary buflers or coiled springs 18 each arranged within a suitable casing 19 and provided with a terminal head 20 similar in construction to the head or cap 10 of the As a means forsimultaneously actuating the auxiliary buffers. there is provided a transverse shaft 24 pivotally mounted for rocking movement in suitable bearings 25 and provided with oppositely disposed hooks 26 having lugs 27 extending laterally there-v from for engagement-With the links of the chains 21, so that when either of the handles of the springs 11 and 18 will exert a longitudinal pull on said lugs and thus prevent accidenta displacement of said locking members.

When it is desired to lessen the jar or shock incident to the collision with an adjacent locomotive of a train traveling in the opposite direction the engineer or fire-man tilts the handle 15 of the locking member upwardly which disengages the lug 16 from the chain 11 thereby causing the spring -11 to project the cap 10 in the p'ath of the approaching locomotive so that when the impact occurs the spring will .be gradually compressed within the casin 9 and thereby lessen the jar or shock inci ent to the collision of said ocomotives.

To prevent collision with flat cars and the like the handles 28 of the locking member 26.

are tilted upwardly which releases the springs 18 and pro ects the caps -20 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawing. The spring will preferably be of sufficient length to prevent contact between the locomotives of adj acent trains whensaid springs are moved to operative or projective position and the-latter will be preferably compressed within the casings or housings by hydraulic or other suitable pressure.

Fromthe foregoing description it is thought that the construction and operation of. the device will be readily understood by those skilled in the 'art and further description thereof is deemed unnecessary.

Having thus described the invention What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a locomotive, of a casing secured thereto, an extensible member arranged within the casing and movable to projected position in advance of the locomotive, and a flexible medium extending longitudinally of and through the extensible member for locking said member in retracted position. i

2. The combination with a locomotive, of a casing secured thereto, a yieldable' buffer disposed within the casing and movable to projected position in advance of the locomotive, a locking member, and a flexible con nection between the locking member and.

buffer and extending through the latter for holding the buffer in retracted position.

3. The combination with'a locomotive, of a casing secured thereto and provided with a closure, a coiled spring disposed within the casingand operatively connected with the le connection ext-ending'within the convolutions of the spring for holding said'spring in retracted position, and a locking member I engaging one end of the flexible medium.

4. The combination with a locomotive,.of a-casingsecured thereto and provided with a closure, a spring disposed within the casing and fastened to the'closure, a locking member, and a flexible connection one end of which is secured to the locking member and the op ositeend thereof extended through the coi s of the s ring and operatively connected with the cl dsure.

5. The combination with a locomotive, of a casing secured thereto and provided with a closure, a springdisposed within the casing and bearing against the closure, a pivoted locking member provided with a laterall extending lu and a chain one end of whic enages said ug/the; opposite end of said chain fleing extended throu h the convolutions of the spring and secure to the closure.

6. The combination with a locomotive, of i a casing secured to the forward end thereof and provided with a cap, a pivoted hook having its freeend provided with an operating handle and its pivoted end formed with a laterallyextending lug, a coiled spring disposed within the casing and bearing against the cap, and a flexible connection, one end of which is secured to the cap and the opposite end thereof extended through the convolutions of the spring and operatively connected with thelug of the locking member. 7. The combination with a locomotive, of a casing'secured to the forward end of the locomotive and provided with a movable cap, a tube extending longitudinally of the locomotive, a pivoted locking member, and a chain, one end of which is secured to the cap, the op osite end of the chain being threaded throug the pipe for engagement with the lockin member.

8. 'fhe combination with a locomotive, of a casing secured to the locomotive and provided with a movable cap, auxiliary casings disposed one on each side of the main casing and provided with similar caps, coiled springs di sposed' within the casings, locking members, and a flexible medium secured to the cap of each casing and extending through the convolutions of the adjacent springs for con nection with the lockin members.

In testimony thatI c aim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS H. HALE.

Witnesses:

J. A. HUSKE, L. E. ELAM. 

